Siemens installs HD-PET technology at UT Southwestern Medical Center

Siemens Healthcare has completed the first clinical installation of its high definition (HD)-PET technology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. 

The facility will leverage the new Biograph 40 TruePoint PET-CT system's HD-PET technology to offer consistently sharper and clearly defined images across the entire field of view, Siemens said.

Patients treated at UT Southwestern will benefit from the HD-PET/CT technology because their physicians will be able to more confidently delineate small lesions.

By utilizing a proprietary technology, the company said that HD-PET can provide high resolution, distortion-free images throughout the entire PET field of view. This improved 2 mm resolution enables physicians to clearly visualize small lesions, from the center to the edges, Siemens said.

Adding high definition to PET systems also dramatically enhances contrast, according to Siemens. The improvement in signal to noise, which effectively doubles, reveals sharper and clearer images that allow the clinician to better differentiate between healthy and suspicious tissue, which could be useful in cases of obese patients.

Around the web

The new technology shows early potential to make a significant impact on imaging workflows and patient care. 

Richard Heller III, MD, RSNA board member and senior VP of policy at Radiology Partners, offers an overview of policies in Congress that are directly impacting imaging.
 

The two companies aim to improve patient access to high-quality MRI scans by combining their artificial intelligence capabilities.